The Immortal Soul
by Aspirant
Summary: Even the strongest and most powerful of mortal beings must face the sting of death. But what's the worse that can happen to you if you're already dead? Ichigo dies, but what happens after that? Please Read and Review!
1. Out of Body Sensation

Tite Kubo owns "Bleach", and all of that stuff. However, the plot is mine.

* * *

Kon was ecstatic. Ichigo had left him in charge of the body for a whole week or so, while he went away on a brief trip to Soul Society. He had left, saying that he needed to get more information about the plans and whereabouts of Aizen. In the aftermath of the combined independent strike force that had attacked Hueco Mundo and successfully rescued Inoue Orihime, Aizen and his remaining forces had left for another fortress, withdrawing with the remaining Espada and the Hogyoku while the other arrancar and hollows were left to fend for themself.

The battle had been fierce, and a number of espada and former espada had been defeated and killed, though not without a serious price for the shinigami and humans. Everyone, Rukia, Renji, Ishida, and Chad had all been seriously injured; Ichigo was in better condition only after being healed by Inoue. And, Nell had almost died in her fight with Noitora. However, the battle had suddenly stopped at Aizen appeared. He had ordered Noitora to stand down, and politely asked Inoue to heal Nell. Surprised, but eager to help Ichigo and to save Nell, who had been defending them, Inoue quickly called upon her powers and began to restore Nell.

As she had finished healing Nell though, Aizen had begun to laugh darkly and applauded. He had then opened a portal out from Los Noches to parts unknown and then left. But, as he had left, Aizen had mocked Ichigo and his friends for their efforts, but praised them for the slight entertainment they had provided and the effects of Orihime's presence and use of her abilities on the awakening and on the development of the Hogyoku. After that, Soul Society lost track of Aizen's whereabouts and were uncertain about the probable timetable for his schemes to become a god.

"Still, he is such a baka." Kon mocked Ichigo, with both some levity and some seriousness. "Of course fighting Aizen would be his official reason for going back to Soul Society. He just can't admit that he wants to go see Rukia again, and probably again and again. Ah, nee-san." Kon murmured to himself. But, regardless of the occasion or reason for Ichigo's absence, Kon was quite pleased. He planned to hit the city and find a goddess of the valleys to happily spend the day with, and to enjoy his temporary stretch of freedom. That morning, putting on his usual scowl for the benefit of Yuzu and Karin and dodging Isshin's crazy attacks and antics, Kon had headed out the door and hopped on the bus to head to the Karakura Mall on his self-proclaimed quest for love. "Hmm, I hope I have enough cash with me, girls love a rich guy, who will woo his lady loves with romantic gifts." He fumbled through Ichigo's wallet for a bit and then stared off dreamily with a smirk at the daydreams of successful prospects of an enjoyable time.

All of a sudden, the bus came to a screeching halt and toppled over, jumping over the nearby curb. The driver screamed out and the bus crashed into a row of parked cars and rammed into the nearby building, crunching horrendously as the now seemingly fragile metal gave way in protest. The bus swerved in dying throes, knocking other cars around and slowly came to halt, partially embedded in the building and lying across a large section of the road with smashed and burning cars scattered about. The passengers began to scream and panic as thick, black smoke began to billow both into and out of the interior of the bus, and the first budding wisps of red and yellow fire began to hungrily lick at the bus, as the fuel began to leak out of the cracked and dented gas tank.

Frantically, Kon shoved aside the other passengers. "Calm down, everyone!" He shouted as loudly as he could. But, they continued to struggle and push through the broken door. Looking around and thinking furiously, Kon drew back a powerful leg and smashed open a window on the top of the toppled bus. "This way, one at a time!" He cried out, as he clambered through, the jagged fragments of glass clawing at him, cutting at his exposed face and arms.

"There! Someone's getting out!" "Call the police and firemen immediately!" "Should we go over and help?" "Stay put and let the emergency teams do the work, we'd only be in the way." The fragmented and nervous conversations of the crowd of bystanders reached Kon as he tiredly gasped for fresh air on top of the bus.

'If they won't help, I'll have to do so, then.' He thought. Turning around, he looked back into the bus and began to pull people out one by one. "Get over here and help move these people!" He angrily shouted at the still immobile bystanders, as the bus rocked and shifted as a small gas pocket burned or exploded. "The bus might explode!"

Now shocked into action, the crowd began to help the people that Kon had already pulled out. They caught each person that Kon dropped down from atop the bus and then carried the wounded away from the burning bus to wait for the paramedics and firemen. As some hurried to help the wounded out of the damaged building and the hurt in the cars hit by the overturned bus, others hurried to administer what first aid knowledge and care they possessed. Finally, after a seemingly interminable wait, the crowd of bystanders and wounded victims could hear the approaching doleful wails of the sirens coming slowly, hemmed in and delayed by the heavy backed-up traffic caused by the crash.

"My daughter! She's still in there!" A distraught mother called out. "Help her, someone, please!" The crowd held her back. She futilely tried to claw her way to the smoking and burning bus. Resigned at the cliché plea that seemed more in line with the events of some drama or play, Kon jumped back into the bus to see if he could find the child that was still trapped inside. As he did, another explosion rocked the bus, and more fumes spilled in, blanketing the inside of the bus in dark, thick clouds and billowing out of the opening to drift high in the sky above the scene.

Barely able to see, Kon called out. "Anyone still in here?" He staggered around, peering for any sign of the child. A tearful and heart-wrenching wail came from the back of the bus, and Kon pushed through the smashed and toppled fragments of plastic and metal, to find a six-year old little girl trapped under a dented metal grating. "Hang in there. Everything will be alright." Kon said soothingly.

The girl sniffed and tried to wipe away the tears of pain and fear on her face. With a grunt and forceful effort, Kon pushed aside the heavy grating. "Okay now, we'll get out of here. You're safe now. And, your mommy's waiting for you." He picked up the young girl and, cradling her gently in his arms, he ran towards the opening on the side of the toppled bus. As he was jumping straight up through the makeshift opening, the fires suddenly reached the fuel tank and the entire bus rocked tremendously as it exploded. With Kon and the little girl only halfway through the opening, the bus shifted fatally. Aware of the impending impact, Kon desperately threw the little girl at the crowd, which nervously edged away. He saw her fly across to safety and smiled warmly and faintly, as the collapsing metal frame hurtled through the air, catching him painfully in the side and smashing him forcefully underneath the wreckage into the pavement. "At least, I managed to get everyone else out in time."

Tearfully, the mother embraced her daughter, who shrieked out while frantically looking for the nice, strawberry man who had saved her. Whole sections of the bus were gone, while the flames continued to burn and spread. The fire trucks and police cars and paramedics finally arrived, sirens blaring in full force. They cleared the area and started emergency life-saving procedures as they began to hurriedly and desperately dig through the debris for the young hero who lay buried underneath. After hours of frenzied and anxious digging beneath a bright and sunny noon, the rescue teams cried out in relief. "We've found him! Quick, get emergency aid ready, and we need some heavy lifting equipment!" And at last, the teams found the young hero, who lay there silently with his legs crushed underneath the heavy metal plating of the bus. Hurriedly, but carefully, they removed the debris and then rushed him to the nearest hospital.

Some distance away in Soul Society, Ichigo finished fighting several hollows that had somehow sneaked through and sheathed his zanpaktou, wrapping it back up and replacing it on his back. Suddenly, he stiffened as some indescribable, tingling feeling ran down his spine, chilling him to the core. Rukia, standing near by, noticed. But before she could ask Ichigo what was the matter, his face settled into a grim expression. And, hurriedly, they both used shunpo to head back to Sereitei. "I have to get back to the real world, immediately. Something bad has happened. I can feel it." Rukia followed him in understanding silence.


	2. A Startling Disappearance

Tite Kubo owns "Bleach", and all of that stuff. However, the plot is mine.

* * *

"Excuse me, sir, please open up!" A uniformed police officer hammered impatiently at the closed, white door of the Kurosaki Family Clinic. "Doctor Kurosaki, there has been a severe accident several kilometers north, and your facilities are the closest nearby. A number of people are seriously injured and need immediate care."

Isshin, rather tired after a complicated late night surgery, opened the door, and gravely took in the officer's words. "Of course, we will do everything we can to help. Though, I would recommend that once the patients are stabilized, that we move them to the Karakura Hospital near by. It's larger and better equipped for large numbers of people. Please notify them for me, and also ask for some more help."

The officer nodded in understanding and picked up his radio and immediately contacted the hospital to notify them of the impending urgency. At the same moment, the sirens of the approaching ambulances began to ring out stridently, as the first several paramedic teams dashed to the clinic. A paramedic in charge quickly, but calmly, began to detail the medical needs. "We have some thirty-seven people involved in the accident. The less injured ones are already on the way to the hospital, but quite a few people need immediate and serious medical attention."

"I understand. We're ready to start emergency treatment. What was the cause for the accident?" Isshin inquired even as he began to dispatch orders efficiently to ready the operating and emergency rooms as well as supplies and took out a pair of surgical gloves and prepared himself to operate on the more life-threatening cases.

Consulting his notes to be sure, the paramedic responded. "Apparently, a bus from Route 33 suddenly lost steering control and toppled over, crashing into other cars. The electrical supplies caused a fire, which ignited the fuel, causing a serious explosion."

And grimly, the doctors and paramedics and nurses arrived quickly and set themselves to the daunting task of saving the lives of the wounded victims of the accident. More and more ambulances sped in and out, as emergency workers and assistants carried in bloodied and unconscious people, who were then brought back from the brink of death.

Morning had passed away into noontime, and even now, began to fade into the afternoon. A steady stream of injured patients, bloodied and wearied, had safely passed through the clinic and now most were steadily recovering at the hospital. Only the last few patients and a few others, with the most serious wounds and bad fractures and lacerations and concussions remained in intensive treatment at the Clinic. At that moment, a paramedic gently carried in a little girl. "She was the last person out of the bus. We think she has serious fractures, and maybe some internal bleeding." The paramedic explained, as he carefully laid the girl down.

Isshin tiredly nodded, but turned to the pain-stricken girl with unwavering patience and concern. "Don't worry. You're safe now." He gently assured her as he began to quickly apply splints and compresses, to prevent too much movement. Deftly, he carefully probed and prodded to make sure there were no major issues, and that she was in stable condition. "Yup, it's all good. You just have a small fracture and a few cuts. The hospital will treat you well, and you'll recover in no time." He smiled warmly. It had turned out that she was in no danger and could be treated more thoroughly later at the hospital. "What's your name?" He asked as he finished bandaging her up and giving her a sling for the moment, and handed her a lollipop, which he pulled out of nowhere.

"I'm Riza." She said cutely and innocently, having had her tears dried off. But, her face turned serious and scared then. "Will the nice onii-san be okay? He saved me from the bus, and carried me to my mommy."

"Oh, he must be a wonderful hero. I'm sure he'll be fine." He reassured her as paramedics helped carry her back to the ambulance. Curiosity sparked , Isshin turned to police officer nearby who had stayed there in charge of any needed security or for calling in further emergency help. "A hero? Have I treated him yet?"

The officer turned towards him, somberly. "Unfortunately, we haven't found him yet. We've been digging for the past four hours, but there is a lot of rubble in the way. As soon as we find him, he'll be brought over immediately. By all accounts, he proved himself a real hero, in saving nearly everyone in the bus."

"Does anyone know who he is yet?" Isshin pondered aloud.

"No. The girl, Riza, was rescued by him and threw her to safety at the last moment, according to the eyewitnesses. When we asked her on the way over, she said that the nice carrot-strawberry onii-san had saved her. Excuse me for a moment." The officer turned and began talking into his radio as it crackled to life and began to buzz.

'A strawberry…' Isshin thought with some foreboding. 'Kon. Ichigo. Please be alright.' Wordlessly, he mouthed a silent prayer to the powers that be. 'Please…'

The police officer returned quickly. "How ironic." He stated dryly. "We've just found the hero, who also happens to be the last victim in the accident. The ambulance will be arriving with him within a few minutes. Unfortunately, he is in critical condition, and the paramedics are afraid that we might lose him at any moment." His lips had thinned and he had a grim face.

"What happened to him?" The officer did not notice Isshin's face tightening into a pinched and worried expression.

"The bus exploded as he was jumping out. Realizing that, he immediately threw the little girl to safety even as the bus twisted and buried him under all of the rubble. Truly a hero." The officer shook his head sadly and turned as the sirens rapidly approached. "They're already here!" He ran outside, as paramedics hurriedly carried in a battered, broken, and comatose figure on a reddening stretcher.

As he saw the familiar orange hair, the tall, lanky figure, and the quiet face in unconscious repose, Isshin's nerveless and chilled hands dropped the delicate tools and instruments in his mands. And he collapsed to his kness, blankly staring at the comatose figure. "Ichigo…" He whispered. "Ichigo! My son!" He cried out in pain, as his fists clenched tightly, and he began to sob into the crook of his arm, unmoving. Confused and worried, the paramedics carefully placed Ichigo on the operating table, and looked about for help. Isshin was the most experienced and senior doctor and surgeon on site. They would need him to perform any of the more serious operations. Without him, none of them had the needed skill to start the emergency treatment. And in this case, the wounded hero required the most capable care.

Karin and Yuzu, who had been helping out by pointing out supplies and giving directions, ran over, completely distraught. "Ichi-nii!" Yuzu began crying, and almost fell to the ground before Karin caught her. Isshin turned around, reached out to them, and hugged both of them tightly to him, and simply held them there in shared solace and in common sorrow and pain.

The paramedics were quickly becoming flustered. "What should we do? The doctor is in no condition to operate. But, the patient needs help immediately!" Some of the paramedics hurried to call for help, while the rest administered what emergency aid they knew to keep Kon, and Ichigo's body, breathing.

"Prepare the patient for surgery, immediately." A clear, calm, and precise voice cut through the rising din and panic, as a black haired, stern man stepped into the clinic. As one of the paramedics began to protest, the man quelled him with one firm glance. "I am Ishida Ryuken, director and chief surgeon of the Karakura Hospital."

Whatever else he was going to say or whatever objections were about to be raised were brushed away, when Isshin suddenly got up, pulling Yuzu and Karin up with him, and stumbled towards the Quincy. "Ryuken, help me! Ichigo is… Ichigo is dead, dying…" Ryuken caught the distraught ex-shinigami and clasped his arms firmly with an elegant hand, even as he soothed the two daughters.

"Don't worry, old friend, I will try my best. Now, rest and wait." And with a decisive and authoritative gesture, he beckoned a paramedic over to help ease the grieving family onto a bench, to await the outcome of the desperate surgery.

But, after three and a half grueling hours of waiting, Ryuken wearily stepped out, with a somber expression on his face, his suit splattered with bits of flesh and thick bodily fluids. Isshin gazed at him with a resigned face. His grief had burned him out after an hour or so. Karin and Yuzu had fallen asleep beside him, and he had reassured them gently as they had sat there and waited. And while they slept, he had already prepared himself for the worst. "So, how is he? He won't recover, will he?"

Bracing himself and letting out a deep sigh, Ryuken held his gaze steadily and answered clearly. "I'm sorry. Yes, you're right; he may not live for much longer. At most, he will only live for four more days, though on the other hand he might not even make it through the night. Somehow, he's lucid enough. So if you like, you can talk to him for a while. In fact, he requested to speak to you at least."

"Thank you, Ryuken. I know you tried your best. Karin, Yuzu, let's go see your brother." Ryuken merely bowed his bowed his head in apology nonetheless and quietly left. He gently shook his daughters awake, and they went into the Ichigo's room, where he was currently resting. "Oh, Ichigo, you awake?" He rapped softly on the door."

"Yeah, come on in, please." A voice slurred out slowly. The family rushed in, as Kon propped himself up, gasping painfully. He turned to face everyone.

"Ichi-nii, don't move!" "You'll hurt yourself more!" Yuzu and Karin protested. But, Isshin merely stepped over and helped prop Kon up. "What did you want to say to us?" He asked softly, knowing how inevitably life and death came.

Kon smiled and laughed softly, before coughing a bit. Flecks of blood spotted the white sheets. "Thanks Isshin. Here's the protective amulet back; I know Yuzu and Karin will have good use for it just in case. It was good living with both of you, Yuzu, Karin, I felt that I had found a place where I really belonged." He smiled wanly at both of them.

Yuzu began crying as Karin balled up her fists. "Don't be stupid, Ichi-nii, you'll be fine soon! Before you know it, you'll be all better..." Her voice trailed off and she too began to cry.

Tiredly, Kon reached out and brushed away Yuzu and Karin's tears. "Sorry… Tell your brother that I'm sorry, for messing up his body… I hope… I know… he'll understand…" And, his hand fell down limply, dangling over the side of the bed. Kon faded away as his spirit left Ichigo's body for the last time and his spirit began to shimmer and change, until it fluttered away as a tiny black butterfly. Dancing before the tear-streaked faces of Karin and Yuzu, the butterfly dipped in final goodbye, before making its ascent to the heavens.

And, still unable to leave Soul Society, Ichigo and Ruka stood at the Senkai Gate of Sereitei. "What do you mean?" Ichigo shouted at Ukitake and Byakuya. "I have to get back to the living world now! Something, something big is happening. Oi, are you two even listening?"

Byakuya responded coldly. "We have our duty. We cannot break the law and open the Senkai Gate to send you to the living world, simply because you say so."

Throwing Byakuya an irritated glance, Ukitake tried to reason with irate Ichigo. "Sorry, but it is somewhat true. Don't worry, though. I have already sent word to the Twelfth Division's Tech team and they're checking for any anomalies. And, I've asked for permission to prepare the Gate so that you can be sent through at a moment's notice. Just wait a bit longer, please." He asked in a reassuring manner.

Worriedly, Rukia glanced at a frustrated Ichigo and lightly placed her hand on his arm. "Ichigo… What's happening?" She suddenly shouted out in alarm, as both of the captains also jumped back, whipping out their swords in reflex, and starting back in shock. Ichigo wordlessly tried to shout at them, but to no avail. Before the three's eyes, Ichigo began to waver, and then disappeared without a trace.

And, throughout both Sereitei and Karakura Town, those who knew Ichigo and had appreciable amounts of reiatsu, suddenly felt a twinge of alarm. Renji, Inoue, Tatsuki, Kiego, Chad, and Ishida, all suddenly stiffened in alarm. "Ichigo." "Kurosaki-kun." "His reiatsu has just disappeared." And many of the captains and vice-captains and shinigami and ex-shinigami who had ever fought or trained with him, likewise felt a tingle of wrongness as Ichigo's powerful and wild reiatsu dimmed and vanished.


	3. Where Does the Hell Butterfly Go?

Tite Kubo owns "Bleach", and all of that stuff. However, the plot is mine.

* * *

A/N: I have gotten some questions about Ichigo being dead already. Yes, I know that is most likely. But, it is one of the points I wish to explore in this story, whether or not Ichigo really is dead. So, please, read on and review.

* * *

"Oi, where am I?" Ichigo suspiciously looked around the dark expanse of nothing that stretched around him in all directions. One second, he had been standing next to Rukia at the gate to the real world trying to get home, and the next, he had just disappeared and appeared here. Though, he had no clue exactly where here was.

Suddenly a single point of light flared up in the distance, gradually strengthening and spreading out, illuminating the tilted skyscraper world of Ichigo's soul. "Welcome, Ichigo." "Hey there, King." Two voices, one grave and serious, one mocking and sarcastic, called out from behind him.

Ichigo whirled around, to see the familiar faces of Zangetsu and his inner hollow. "Old man, what's going on?" He ignored the taunting voice and leering visage of the hollow for the moment.

"Ichigo, you have died. Even as we speak, your soul world is changing and expanding, freeing itself from the confines and limitations and necessities of life." Ichigo made to interrupt, with a disgruntled expression on his face, but Zangetsu merely continued speaking. "Yes, you can die. Although you became a spirit and then a shinigami, you were still a part of this human, real world; you were still alive. And, a part of your soul remained attached to your body, marking it as yours. If you had tried, as a spirit, to possess another gigai, your soul would have been violently rejected. But now, you, Kon, and your body are all dead."

"Okay. So, then. What happens now? Why didn't I go to Soul Society already?"

"Because you were already partially dead, and, because you, irregularly, already possess a zanpaktou, you did not need a hell butterfly, in the conventional sense. Nonetheless, now you still need to and will now undergo the Trial of Souls."

"Trial of Souls?" Ichigo asked, with a blank expression on his face.

"King, you really disappoint me!" The hollow drawled out. "You know nothing of the realities of the Soul Worlds, of the fate of souls. Pathetic." He cackled.

Ignoring the little side taunts, Zangetsu continued his explanation. "You have never wondered about or pondered over this fact, but why do some souls go to Hell? Why have you never heard of souls going to Heaven?"

Ichigo responded in a puzzled manner. "Isn't Soul Society…"

He was cut off. "Soul Society and Hueco Mundo are worlds both akin to a form of purgatory. Let me tell you now. God was merciful, but also just. Only those of pure heart can enter Heaven and join him. But, He could not bear sending so many souls to Hell. And so, He gave everyone a second chance, a very long second chance. At death, souls naturally are sent to Soul Society, as per the duties of the shingami. But, obstinate and unrepentant souls remain attached to the earth, or are corrupted by other souls, and then become hollows, going to Hueco Mundo."

"So, Hueco Mundo isn't Hell? It sure seemed like it." He remembered the terrible fighting, and the dark reiatsu that saturated the place. And, he recalled all of the pain and suffering that had taken place.

"Perhaps it may seem so, but it is not. If shinigami or souls in Soul Society die or are killed, they have a good chance of going to Heaven. Most hollows are purified and sent to Soul Society. Some, though, are judged guilty and sent directly to Hell." Ichigo had a flashback to the hollow, who had pursued the soul of the child stuck in a parakeet, remembering how the gates of Hell had appeared and the soul of the killer condemned. "Each person, at death goes through some sort of Trial of Souls, and receives a warning as to the workings of the soul and the possible destinations."

"Everyone already knows all of this?" Ichigo asked incredulously. "How come I never heard of it before, then?"

"Because they have forgotten, everyone forgets this Trial on a conscious level, as will you at its conclusion. They may only know on an instinctive level that they are being judged and that they should act accordingly." Zangetsu paused. "Sadly, many try to forget this and they fall into corruption and evil." Ichigo nodded in understanding, thinking of Aizen.

Shrugging, Ichigo nodded. "Okay, so then, what kind of trial am I going to get?"

"All people have a light and a dark side of their personality and character. In your case, your hollow side has actually been manifested as the representation and focus of your opposite and dark side. In this trial, you must fight your hollow. The victor will rule without fail and possess the sum total of both of your powers. And, the victor will determine your destination, of either Hueco Mundo or Soul Society, as well as your very being, an arrancar or a vaizard. Likely, this battle will also determine your soul's eventual fate." Zangetsu fell silent at the hollow stepped forward, leering.

"So, then, I better not lose. Oi, hollow, let's do this. Bankai!" Ichigo unleashed his bankai and firmly grasped his zanpaktou, standing loosely in a ready position.

"Right, king." The hollow cackled again. "Will the horse overthrow the king this time? We'll know soon enough." And he too, drew his zanpaktou.

"One question though, hollow. I've always wondered; how powerful are you? Or actually, better yet, what are you?" Ichigo demanded, ignoring the usual taunts and jibes.

"Ha!" The hollow chuckled softly. "What am I? So many people have asked the same question, and up to now, I had no answer. But now, I think I might finally have a response. If you win, I'll let you know the truth to both of your questions. So, you'll probably never know, then, hmm?" He laughed and threw his blade straight at Ichigo, who rolled to the side. Drawing his sword back, the hollow proceeded to launch an unending volley of throws. Each case swiftly pierced through anything in its path, blasting obstacles into piles of rubble.

"Dammit!" Ichigo muttered, pressed back, unable to close and fight. He tightened his grip and let his blade swing out. "Getsuga Tenshou!" A white crescent blast of pure reiatsu blasted the incoming blade to the side, and Ichigo took advantage of the opening to lunge towards the hollow. "Take this!" And, he slashed mightily at the hollow, with a diagonal slash that cut him deeply from the shoulder to the waist.

Eyes open in surprise and disbelief, the hollow collapsed backwards, spraying blood from the grave wound. Breathing a breath of relief, Ichigo wiped his brow and stepped back. "You really think it would be that easy? Ichigo! Hado Number 4, Byakurai!" A bolt of white lightning pierced through Ichigo's shoulder, as the hollow slowly stood back up. Before Ichigo's paralyzed body and eyes, the hollow's wounds began to heal and close up. "Game over, king! Let me show you how it's really done. Getsuga Tenshou." He swung his blade, which had also turned into its bankai form.

A black crescent wave slammed into Ichigo with tremendous force, blasting away the entire area, as the skyscraper upon which they were standing crumbled away into nothingness. But, as the dust began to dissipate, to the tune of the hollow's crazed laughter, a sudden burst of reiatsu flared up. "Not yet." Ichigo panted out.

In a quick dash, Ichigo appeared in front of the hollow and slashed down. The hollow parried the strike and the two exchanged a flurry of blows, before leaping back and circling each other warily. "Hehe. So, Ichigo, you are forced to rely on my power." The hollow began to laugh wildly at the sight of the hollow mask over Ichigo's face. "You are trying to use my power to fight me? How funny!"

"I'll never give up. I will win!" Ichigo firmly stated. And, he again charged forward at the hollow, who began to dodge or parry every attack that Ichigo threw at him with an insulting ease.

"Baka." The hollow taunted. "Getsuga Tenshou!" He drove Ichigo back, forcing him to continually dodge and retreat as he sent blast after blast at him. "You try to attack blindly, without technique or strategy. In this battle, instinct alone won't be enough. Ichigo!" With an insane bout of laughter, the hollow took his blade and crushed it between his hands. "Let me show you our future form." White slivers began to appear and form around the hollow's white form, as he began to convulse and metamorphose.

"What in the world!" Ichigo stared in revulsion as his hollow self shed its human skin, a hole appearing through the chest, a ghastly white skull over the face, long curved talons of bone, and a thick, corded pale tail whipping out behind him.

"Hehe." The hollow laughed. "What's the matter, Ichigo? Frightened? Let me show you the abilities that the true king of this body has!" Reiatsu exploded outwardly, in such sheer quantities that Ichigo felt a powerful presence nearly forcing him to his knees. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock at the immense spiritual force.

His bravado returned quickly enough though, as Ichigo stood upright by force of will. "Is that it? Just a little reiatsu gain?" He drawled out, despite knowing that the hollow's spiritual aura had just doubled or tripled in magnitude. "Now, I'm all disappointed. I can beat you still yet."

"Don't lie. Ichigo!" The hollow taunted, and blurred out in a burst of movement, dashing around and circling the motionless Ichigo. He outstretched his arm and fired out a large cero beam. Hurriedly, Ichigo raised his blade, and cut back the cero with a Getsuga Tenshou. When the blast ceased, Ichigo glimpsed the hollow hurtling towards him, claws outstretched and slammed his blade up to parry. As Ichigo skidded back several feet from the force of the blow, he realized that the hollow's claws suddenly gleamed blue, as an enormous sheet of pale, blue fire crashed into him.

Ignoring the blood seeping out from a number of cuts, Ichigo looked painfully and with some amazement at the burns all over his body. "Wasn't that Hado Number 33, sokatsui?" He murmured to himself, as he stiffly readied himself for another attack. He remembered that attack from the multiple times that Rukia had used it, both in training with him and in battle as well.

"Yes, it was, Ichigo." The hollow leisurely began to walk over, tilting its head from side to side, peering at him. "That is my special talent, to instinctively combine kido into my attacks. Unlike you, I have mastery and use of all four abilities of the shinigami, and already posses all of the hollow abilities. You are weak. And so, as your opposite, I am strong." With a gesture, the hollow struck at the air in front of him, and a ball of red energy shot out. Ichigo dodged to the side, using shunpo.

"Grr… That doesn't matter." Ichigo gritted his teeth at the his deteriorating situation. Despite his tiring energy, he steeled his resolve. "Even if I die, then I'll take you with me! I will never let you out to harm anyone!" His reiatsu flared up as he declared his purpose. His entire soul expanded and his spirit's aura sprang up around him, wreathing him in dancing blue flames. "Let's decide this with a final blow!"

"You wouldn't!" The hollow was shocked. "You can't!" It babbled out, stunned by the turn of events. Ichigo's reiatsu flared up, as strong if not stronger than its own. "I need your power; your power should become part of mine. We are the same being. If you destroy me, you'll destroy the inner world. You'll destroy yourself." It almost pleaded. It stood motionless, while Ichigo continued to drain his soul's very core for energy. And as Ichigo drained the core of his being, the entire soul world began to shake and crumble; the whole inner world stood on the edge of collapse and destruction. The bones and tails and mask melted away as the inner hollow stumbled about the violently trembling world. With an almost frightened look, it returned to a more normal form and grabbed its sword as well.

"Oi, I guess this is it. If it turns out… well, nice knowing you Zangetsu, and though I can't say the same for you, goodbye to you, hollow." Ichigo said softly and firmly, and nodded in respect to Zangetsu, who gravely bowed in return. "Hyahh!" With a way cry, Ichigo lunged towards the hollow, and focusing and compressing all of his released energy into that one strike, slashed down in a swift and powerful killing blow. Channeling all of his energy into his blade, the hollow swung his sword wide to parry Ichigo's stroke, both blades glinting like bolts of lightning streaking through the sky towards each other.

As the two blades collided, two massive blasts blew out from both sides in a tremendous explosion and release of power. The entire inner world began to collapse, as the skyscrapers began to tumble and fragment and as numbing rain began to pour down from the invisible and intangible skies, blanketing the world in a gray mist of oblivion.


	4. Herald of Ill Tidings

Tite Kubo owns "Bleach", and all of that stuff. However, the plot is mine.

* * *

With appreciable haste, even on the part of Kuchiki Byakuya, both Byakuya and Ukitake hurriedly ordered the Senkai gates to open. "I'll go through and find out what happened. Somehow, whatever Ichigo felt going on in the real world has caused something to his soul." Rukia tersely stated, as she dashed through the opened gates.

Byakuya finally regained his icy indifference and regal poise, and nodded gracefully. Ukitake, unnerved by the events, and rather concerned, called out to her. "Contact the Tenth Division members that are still in the real world if you need backup. I'll arrange for a team to follow you if needed, as soon as possible." Even as he finished his sentence, the gate began to flux and waver out, closing as the shinigami passed through and reached the living world. "What did happen, I wonder."

"We will find out soon enough, I presume. But, why should we in Soul Society even care?" Byakuya placidly responded.

Ukitake simply answered. "Soul Society owes him a great debt. More than that, we will need all the help we can find for the future, and that future likewise is intricately intertwined with the Real World. Don't you express any interest ever?" He asked in slight exasperation at the still stoic captain.

Turning and leisurely walking away, Byakuya answered without the slightest change in inflection. "Of course I do." And, he left. In his mind, he silently pondered the orange-haired brat's predicament and the mysterious events that had transpired, and also forced himself to reflect on and acknowledge the assistance that the brat had made.

Rukia tried to push all speculations to the back of her mind as she dashed at full speed through the passage between worlds. 'What happened to Ichigo?' What had he sensed before our return to Sereitei?' 'Is he alive?' Within moments, the portal in the living world opened, and she jumped out, all senses searching for any particular signs or disturbances. She felt nothing unusual. The light continued to shine, though somewhat wanly as sunset and the evening began to approach. Without any signs to follow up, she was at a loss as for what to do. 'Do I just wander around, looking for clues? I really have no idea as to what I should be looking for.'

"Kuchiki-san!" Rukia looked down in surprise to see Inoue calling up to her, with Ishida and Chad standing beside her. "Did you feel Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu disappear as well?" She questioned worriedly as Rukia jumped down in front of them. "Do you know what happened to him?"

Rukia paused, realizing that many people somehow must have felt Ichigo's disappearance to some extent. "No, I have as little idea as you do. We were in Soul Society, fighting hollows, when Ichigo felt that something for wrong in the Real World. We headed back to Sereitei and were trying to open the Senkai gates when his spirit form just vanished."

Ishida looked grim. Pushing his glasses back up, he posed the terrible scenario. "What happened if Ichigo died?" Everyone looked taken aback, even Chad stepped back and his eyes widened in alarm.

"Ichigo is strong." "Kurosaki-kun wouldn't just give up in any situation!" Chad and Inoue protested. The thought of Kurosaki Ichigo, Substitute Shinigami, Captain level in strength, dying, seemed wrong and impossible.

"That is impossible." Rukia tried to argue.

"Really? And why is that?"

"He was standing next to me, in spirit form. And he just disappeared, we weren't even fighting or anything." She explained in frustration. "We just don't know anything that happened!" Aggravated, she jumped back into the sky and began to run away, calling back to them. "I'm going to go search."

Inoue, Chad, and Ishida stood for a moment, wondering what to do next, when Chad spoke up. "I think that we should search too. Maybe, we will find something." And he too, left, heading out. Inoue nodded as well, and she and Ishida split up to search for any clues or information.

Rukia flash-stepped quickly around Karakura town, pausing at intervals to search briefly glimpse for any traces of Ichigo or his spiritual presence. But, she was disappointed to find nothing at all. Finally, she decided to head back to Ichigo's house and see if he was there, even though it seemed unlikely that she would find any clues at such a normal place. With a burst of speed, she flash-stepped to the Kurosaki Family Clinic and Ichigo's house. 'Why are there so many ambulances here?' She wondered as a mounting sense of horror washed over here.

Slowly, she picked her way through the paramedics and officers still on scene, nervously watching the news reporters standing outside. "Standing here, we should pay our respects to the Kurosaki family. Many other families are greatly indebted to their son, who heroically saved so many today." She overheard one of the reporters gravely speak into the camera.

"No, that must be a lie. Kon wouldn't get Ichigo's body killed. Besides, how would this affect Ichigo's spirit form? This doesn't add up." She shook her head angrily and in frustration, as tears, both sad and upset, spilled down her face.

Suddenly, a reporter came out of the house and began speaking loudly to the camera. "Breaking news!" He looked gravely at the camera and paused. "We should convey our deepest apologies and well-wishes to the Kurosaki family in their time of trial and pain. We regret to inform you that the young hero who helped save over fifty people from a terrible accident today has just passed away. Let us all pause for a moment of silence in remembrance of Kurosaki Ichigo and his heroic courage and sacrifice." Rukia's eyes widened in shock, and her tears began to pour at all the more. After a moment, the reporter continued. "We will present a number of segments covering the nature of the accident and Kurosaki-san's role later today, as we continue to investigate…"

Rukia ran into the clinic, searching for Ichigo. With iron control, she dried her tears and forcefully began to rein in her emotions. 'This was just Kon, in Ichigo's body. Ichigo is probably fine, though I should give Kon a soul burial. I think.' She almost started laughing hysterically, before her cut herself off. 'I will be calm. I am a shinigami. Death is a part of life.' Forcefully, she began to repeat that to herself, trying her hardest not to remember her mother and father and sister from so many lifetimes ago, or Kaien from her early days as a shinigami, or her childhood friends from Rukongai.

Pausing, she heard sobbing and crying from the recovery room ahead. "Dad, Karin-chan." Yuzu cried, holding onto them. Karin hugged her back, holding her tightly, as Isshin wrapped both of them up in a firm hug. "Is Ichi-nii really dead?" A sharp pain cut at Rukia's chest. She stepped into the room, steeling herself for the worst.

And there, lying on the bed, in pristine white marred only by flecks of rich, red blood, lay Ichigo. Rukia furiously shook her head. 'It is just a body, a hollow shell. But… The face, so calm and tranquil, the body so relaxed in repose…' Stepping closer, she wondered where Kon's soul had gone. She had wanted to reassure him that they would meet again at soul society, before giving him a soul burial. Stepping still closer, Rukia walked up to and approached the body, gently and sadly touching a cold and lifeless hand.

"Hey! Who are you?" Karin growled out, angered that someone could be so insensitive in intruding on a grieving and wounded family. "Show some respect and get out!" She let go of Yuzu to advance, somewhat menacingly, towards this intruder.

"Karin, and Yuzu, and Isshin. They must all be so upset by… his death." Rukia muttered quietly, though all three of them heard. She ignored Karin, thinking that she was addressing someone else.

"Wait… Rukia-neesan? What are you doing here?" Karin stepped back in curiosity and in fear. "Why do you have a sword, and why are dressed like that?"

Rukia started in surprise, as she stared at Karin. "You can see me?" She glanced over at the oblivious Isshin and the surprised but slightly confused Yuzu.

"Of course, it's not like you're a ghost or anything…" She trailed off in confusion, as she realized that Isshin apparently could not see her. "Yuzu, you can see Rukia, right?" Yuzu shook her head in negation. Karin shrank back, again frightened. "So, you're dead, a ghost?" She whispered with a feeling of betrayal.

Trying to reassure her, Rukia tried to step closer, but Karin just stepped away. Sighing, Rukia tried to explain. "I am a shinigami, a guide for spirits to travel to Soul Society after death and a defender of innocent souls from the attacks of hollows."

Readying a note pad, Rukia prepared to explain about hollows and pluses with fully drawings and everything, but Karin shook her head. "I think I understand that." Her voice shook a little at the memory. "I can see ghosts too. And, I saw hollows before. Chad saved me that time."

"Okay." Rukia nodded. "Your brother is a substitute shinigami, because he somehow awakened his shinigami powers. I stayed to help train and teach him. That's the basic story." She had simplified the story, not wanting to have to explain all of the messy details that had so complicated the situation. Though, from the glint in Karin's eyes, she knew that one day she would have to explain the full story.

Yuzu broke into the conversation. "Ah, Rukia-neechan." She spoke at Rukia somewhat hesitatingly, not being able to exactly make out the details of the blur. "Are you here to guide Ichigo to heaven then?"

"Actually, no." Rukia's soft voice caught a little. "Ichigo was with me in Soul Society, when he just disappeared. I think that it was probably the same time as Kon in Ichigo's body died." She explained gently, with feeling. "I was investigating why that is so right now." Her pale violet eyes widened belatedly at the extent of the information she had accidentally revealed so easily to Ichigo's family.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, for her, the family understood fairly well, though they did seem to be a little confused about the mention of some Kon person. Yuzu just sort of nodded, understanding the deceptively rough exterior that Ichigo presented and the kind heart beneath it all, and his strong dedication to helping others. Isshin remained oblivious to the entire setting, and merely sat quietly to the side. Karin was the only one to respond. "Okay. I understand. I've even seen Ichi-nii in his shinigami form, I think. So, do you know what happened then, Rukia-neechan?" She pleaded, hoping that Ichigo might just be alive still.

Tears pooled, unshed, in Rukia's eyes at the understanding of the Kurosaki family, at their continued hope in Ichigo's safety, and at their love for the young son and the older brother. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I haven't found anything yet. Everything just seems like he disappeared, vanished completely." Wincing, she paused at the worried expressions on Yuzu and Karin's faces. "But, I'll continue looking; don't worry about that. I will let you know as soon as I find something. Okay?" Gently, she smiled encouragingly at them, as she pushed back her tears.

"Okay, Rukia-neechan." Yuzu answered, hope and trust, in both Rukia and in Ichigo, glimmering in her eyes. Though, for a moment, her face dimmed. "Oh, and, that Kon person, in Ichigo's body, said to say sorry to Ichigo."

With a laugh, somewhat sorrowfully, but at the same time truly mirthful, Rukia responded kindly. "Of course. But don't worry. It's because Ichigo always tells Kon to be careful when leaving him with his body. He'll understand; he too is a hero. It's the spirit that matters. Ichigo will be fine." Her voice trailed off slightly in the middle, before coming out with a strong promise at the end. "When I bring him back, in whatever form, I'll tell you the whole story, okay? About, how to rescued me, and saved Soul Society."

Rukia marveled at Yuzu and Karin's heartened faces, and smiled in relief and cheer. She walked over, and hugged both of them tightly, and they melted into her embrace happily. As she left, both of them waved goodbye to her and she headed out to continue searching. "We'll be waiting for you then, Rukia-neesan!" She jumped straight up, to perch atop a telephone pole as she contemplated the next course of action.

'Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe the clues I'm looking for are in the Spirit World after all. First, I'll check with the other Inoue and Chad and Ishida before heading back.'

As Rukia thought about where else to look and continued flash-stepping through Karakura town, a deep voice broke into her thoughts. "Kuchiki-san, it is truly a pleasure to finally meet you."


	5. A Clue or Two?

Tite Kubo owns "Bleach", and all of that stuff. However, the plot is mine.

* * *

Stopping quickly and whirling sharply about, Rukia unsheathed and drew her zanpakuto in a fluid motion, only to then stumble in shock at the person before her. "Kurosaki Isshin?" She sputtered in disbelief and amazement. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that he was not only wearing a shinigami uniform but also seemed to have a captain's cloak raggedly draped over his shoulder along with a sheathed zanpakuto.

"Yes. Kurosaki Isshin, father of Kurosaki Ichigo, former shinigami of the Gotei 13. It is a delight to finally meet you, without the normal pretense." He smiled, somewhat ironically but with an overlaying sense of real pleasure.

Rukia's mouth hung open and her eyes widened dramatically in astonishment. "But, Ichigo said that you never could see spirits. You also didn't see me whenever I stayed at your house!" With an uncharacteristic squeak and only the slightest hint of a blush, Rukia clapped her hand over her mouth at the admission.

On the other hand, Isshin merely chuckled in amusement. "I've always known. I know Urahara and Yoruichi; I know about Kon. In fact, I even gave him the protective amulet to help him ward of hollows that might try to attack him."

"Then why didn't you ever help?" The words forcefully burst out from Rukia's lips despite her attempt at restraint and discretion, as surprise and shock at the sudden revelation wrenched the questions out from Rukia. "Why did you let Ichigo's mom die? He suffered so much from it. Why didn't you defeat the hollows that attacked your family? Why did you let Ichigo suffer through so much?" The pleas tearfully poured out.

Frowning, Isshin flash-stepped too quickly for Rukia's eyes to follow and appeared behind and beside her. She shrank a little in apprehension. "I sealed my powers, as the first and only test-subject of Urahara's special reiatsu suppressing gigai in order to be with Masaki. Unfortunately, it had done its job too well." He sighed, deeply and without his usual flair for drama. "I wanted to be human again, to have the chance to live happily and simply with the woman I loved and still love, without any involvement in the affairs of spirits. Perhaps though, we cannot defy destiny, at least not completely." He murmured the last part softly. "And then I had to stay and raise the family."

"I'm sorry." Rukia apologized. "Really, I didn't mean to try to… I have messed up too." She remembered how, because of her, Aizen had gotten the Hogyoku and Ichigo and Inoue and Chad and Ishida and everyone had nearly died. "I understand."

"No harm done. "Isshin replied in better humor. "Perhaps it was time anyways to tell the truth." He smiled. "Masaki! Our son has grown up so well, and is so lucky to have such a wonderful girlfriend as Rukia!" Tears of joy poured out of his eyes.

Rukia flinched back at the quirky persona of Isshin, though she was somewhat used to it, she supposed. At least, she was more used to it than anyone outside of the close circle of Kurosaki family and friends. Suddenly, she was struck by a thought. "What do you mean by girlfriend?! " She shouted in outrage, with a red blush lightly tinged across her face.

With a surprised and somewhat puzzled expression, Isshin stopped his weird crying. "No? Really?" He seemed truly mystified by Rukia's denial. "But, the depth of feeling between you two, it must be the power of love! Even I can feel the bond you two share." Loudly and enthusiastically, he protested. "At home, after you stayed in the real world, I could see him moping and thinking about you. And when you finally returned, he cheered up greatly and was his normal self again." He muttered to himself. "I wonder when he will ever make me a proud grandfather."

Gasping in outrage, Rukia smacked Isshin over the head. "Baka!" Then, she paused in the shock of realization. She had just smacked Ichigo's dad. She had just smacked another, seemingly quite powerful, shinigami. "Ah! Sorry about that." Smiling sheepishly, she apologized, sporting an embarrassed blush across her face.

"Um, it's alright." Isshin rubbed his head. "Don't worry about it; I get more injured trying to attack Ichigo every morning, as I think you know."

Rukia nodded, with an exasperated smile on her face. "Though, why did you suddenly come to me right now? Do you know anything about Ichigo's situation or location right now?" She returned to the main issue at hand.

Isshin frowned. "Yes, partially. First, I finally regained the full use of my shinigami powers today. Seeing your distress and the disappearance of my son, I decided to come and help you. Second, I believe that Urahara knows something." He made an irritated face. "He always does, and is really annoying about it. In light of that, I had the feeling that you would be needing my help for whatever is about to happen."

Understanding, Rukia gazed at him steadily. "Thank you, sir." She said simply. "I have the fullest confidence that you are a strong shinigami, if Ichigo is any indication. In that case, let's head to Urahara's shop then." And she, turned towards the Urahara shop.

"But, aren't you curious?" Isshin protested, his innocuous face up again. "Don't you want to know how powerful I am?" Ignoring him somewhat, Rukia began to flash-step away. Catching up easily, Isshin pouted. "Fine, I'll only give a hint for now, since you're being mean, but someday you'll come asking me. I am at least as strong as a captain." He grinned widely, and somewhat childishly. Again, Rukia ignored him.

Quickly, without too much further useless and irrelevant prattle, they arrived at Urahara's shop. Rukia opened the sliding screen door and stepped into the dark and seemingly abandoned shop. "Urahara-san? Are you here?" She called out as she scanned the place for signs of the inhabitants.

Isshin stepped in front of her. "Oi! Kisuke, get out here already!" He hollered loudly, as he flared his reiatsu a bit, startling Rukia a little in its strength.

"Ara, ara. So many people today, at such a late and unusual hour. You do know you that you are all interrupting my dinner?" Urahara stepped out onto the patio, muttering and tsking behind his opened fan. "Now, can I help you with something?" He asked, suddenly serious.

"You felt Ichigo's reiatsu disappear, right? You have to know something about it. You always do." Rukia demanded to know straight out, worrying evident on her features.

Calmly, Urahara responded, carefully choosing his words. "Yes, I felt his reiatsu disappear. But, I'm afraid I don't know entirely why."

Rukia caught the last part, and its disclaimer. "So then, you do know something. Please tell me, us. We have to find out what happened to Ichigo and save him." She pleaded, feeling a rising sense of guilt towards and concern for Ichigo.

Urahara sighed, and sat himself on the patio. "I have a theory." He paused, before collecting himself and preparing to explain in greater detail. "Ichigo has always been an odd factor, in the sense that he is in the middle. For example, he is a shinigami, but has hollow powers as well." Ignoring Rukia's startled and protesting expression, he continued on. "More relevantly, he is physically alive but also dead at the same time."

"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" Upset, Rukia angrily commented. "Is that even possible? Explain!"

"I can only do so partially." Came back the semi-evasive response. "Because of the training I put him through to regain his shinigami powers, I believe that his hollow side was also awakened. This lead to the development of his vaizard powers. This made him increasingly powerful…" He trailed off for a second, almost in apprehension, before continuing. "However, as part of the process, I also had to sever his Chains of Fate…"

"How could you Kisuke? I trusted you with my son!" Suddenly enraged, Isshin lunged forward and struck at Urahara with his zanpakuto, blowing him back and slamming him into the side of the shop, hard.

Clutching his hat and cane, Urahara slowly and painfully righted himself. He coughed a bit, and tried to explain and continue his explanation, while ignoring the hands clutching at his collar and the blade resting firmly against his side. "Yes, well, Ichigo was determined to do anything, anything at all, to regain his powers. You know he had to save Rukia." Still simmering in rage, Isshin reluctantly lowered his blade, though he still stood in a semi-aggressive stance.

"Yes, I know." Rukia was the one to respond, with her head bowed low from her shame. So, it had been her fault, in everything. She was the cause of all of this.

She was startled when Isshin lifted her head up and gently patted her on the back. "No, don't blame yourself. In the end, it was his own decision; I suppose. We all know how stubborn he can be." Isshin chuckled, somewhat bitterly.

"He's right, you know." Urahara reseated himself somewhat gingerly. "It is also my fault; again I apologize." He lowered his head in apology, as Rukia caught the reference to his deception concerning the Hogyoku. "But regardless, I severed Ichigo's Chains of Fate. And, his hollow tried to emerge at that point and devour him. Anyhow though, that made him technically dead. Yet, his body remained alive and functioning, as if the spirit was still connected. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but now… Now, I think that there might have been some bond still between his body and his soul, even without the Chains of Fate. I just don't know what."

"Uhm…" Rukia mouthed in confusion. "Haven't you ever tried that method before? Didn't you already know what would happen?" Inwardly, she cringed at the pain Ichigo must have gone through in order to regain his powers just so that he could save her. At the academy, the instructors had described the process of a plus turning into a hollow. It had sounded decidedly agonizing.

Urahara smiled nervously and fanned himself deftly. "Actually, never." He chuckled nervously to himself as both Rukia and Isshin seemed to be suddenly wreathed in an angry aura even as they began to pulse with barely suppressed reiatsu. "I had heard about it and researched the old records about it while I was still captain and head of the Technology and Development Bureau. However, I had never actually practiced nor seen nor even heard of the method before."

"Well, then." Rukia ground out. "What suggestions do you have now for us?"

Sighing, he responded wearily. "Nothing." He snapped his fan shut and stood up. "Ichigo should reappear eventually, though only he will know what went on in his absence. He most likely is some in-between state from which he should return from after some time. So, the only thing we can do is hope and wait." And, he turned and walked back into the darkness of the closed shop. "Goodnight, Kuchiki-san. Goodnight, Isshin."

Rukia, somewhat let-down by the vague response, turned to Isshin. "Now what?"

"Let's head back home. I guess he's right. Right now, we can only wait, and hope." Isshin responded, seemingly disliking Urahara's suggestion. "Well, that's Kisuke for you anyhow. He's acted like that, for who knows how long."

She nodded in reluctant agreement. "How do you know Urahara anyway? Does it have something to do with your supposed captain class powers?" She asked him.

He just chuckled. "Maybe, maybe not. I'll tell both you and Ichigo together, when he returns. In the meantime, I guess I'll fill Karin and Yuzu a little in on what's going on. They do have a right to know."

Absently, Rukia agreed. "Of course. I think I should talk to them too; besides, I also need to ask them if I can borrow some clothes again, and sleep in their room too. I'm going to stay until Ichigo returns, and it would be too weird sleeping in Ichigo's closet, without him there." For a moment, she paused and shuddered at the sudden feeling of loneliness. In truth, it would be terrible to sleep there, in a room so full of Ichigo's presence, but without him actually there.

Of course, Isshin broke the somewhat somber mood that descended upon Rukia. "Haha! Hmm, I am so proud of you Ichigo! You really have found a beautiful flower to be with you; a lovely princess who even sleeps with you. Though, you did try to hide this from me. But, the master always finds out!" He broke out laughing, loudly.

Irritated, embarrassed, and blushing, Rukia whacked him over the head. Hard. A number of times. No longer caring that Isshin was Ichigo's father, or that he was a former captain-level shinigami of the Gotei 13. Not in the slightest.


	6. Journey Through the Mists

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been a bit busy.

As usual, "Bleach" isn't really mine. A shame.

Ichigo sighed loudly and irritably, before biting off a caustic curse at life and death, and at the universe in general. "Where am I now?" He growled out at he stared at the thick swirling mists that obscured his vision in all directions. "So, no lights conveniently appearing this time to point out the way?" Though, as he muttered the rhetoric question, a small ball of light actually drifted out right in front of him. "Dang! I'm good."

"Hey there, Ichigo…" A familiarly irritating voice drawled out. The white mists swirled in agitation, and for a brief moment, seemed to come together as the white masked visage of his hollow counterpart.

In a flash, Ichigo drew Zangetsu and fired a getsuga tenshou into the blankness, dispersing the wavering image. "Oi, hollow? You're still alive?" His brow furrowed in some irritation and thought.

To his complete frustration, a hollow laugh rang out through the area. "You're still pretty funny, king. You still don't see, do you? If you live, I live. It is that simple." A blank white mask formed again, before wavering like a pool of water, to reflect the leering visage of the hollow.

"So I lost then?" Ichigo's asked in shock, his mouth hanging loosely.

"That is incorrect, Ichigo." Zangetsu's voice cut through the mists, like a well-honed knife, but he did not appear. "You managed to defeat your opposite side. However, before you can continue on, you must come to terms with yourself. You must understand and accept the truth about both your dark and light aspects, your motivation driving your existence." And his voice faded back into silence.

Irritably huffing, Ichigo waved his hands, trying to dispel some of the mist. "Fine, if I have to, I suppose. Come on out then, hollow." He cocked his head and crossed his arms waiting for something to happen. "Hurry up, I don't have all day." Instead though, the mists began to swirl, and parted. Ichigo's heart nearly stopped in shock and fright.

"Mother, look!" A young Ichigo gestured off at a lonely and silent boy with a fragmented chain protruding from his chest standing beside the rushing river banks. The mother, Masaki, gently patted Ichigo on the head.

"Sorry, dear. I don't see anything." She pulled him closer under the bright yellow umbrella shielding them both from the light rain showering the scene. "Come on now, let's go home. Your father and sisters are waiting." Hugging him, she smiled warmly. And Ichigo felt his heart aching in remembrance. But what in the world was going on?

"No! Mother! He's going to drown!" The young Ichigo exclaimed and dashed towards the boy, who had just started to walk into the river. And then, everything rushed by in a blur. Ichigo falling towards the water; his mother rushing after him; the blurred impression of a gigantic shadow looming nearby; the horrible sounds of a pleased monster feeding.

And, as Ichigo collapsed to his knees, the young Ichigo clambered besides his mother. "Mother! Mom! Are you alright?" Tears began to fall from both of their eyes, though no rain was there to hide Ichigio's falling drops of sorrow.

Masaki slowly and painfully turned her head, her visage paling with approaching death. Slowly and clearly, she spoke. "It's … your fault Ichigo." And she died.

"NO!" Ichigo bellowed, shaking himself upright. "Hollow! Show yourself already!" Nonetheless, his voice trembled with suppressed and painful emotions. Breathing heavily, he muttered vainly to himself. "This is all fake. I know that that did not happen. The hollow is just playing tricks with me."

Again, the mists swirled, and with a sense of foreboding, Ichigo braced himself for another vision or memory. And his expectations were not disappointed. The mists parted to reveal the Sokyoku execution stands in Seireitei. Around the grounds, the gathered captains and vice-captions watched impassively and silently as the white blocks hoisted Rukia high up between the stands, and the Kikou's fiery spirit was released from its sealed form.

Ichigo dashed towards the stand, desperately willing himself to fly faster. But, he was just a little too late. Trailing behind the flaming phoenix by mere seconds, he watched as it struck Rukia and pierced through her with agonizing slowness. Her face contorted in a silent and awful scream, as her spirit began to burn and turn into ash and disappear. And, she then gazed straight at him. With an angry and despairing visage, she gasped out with her final breaths. "Why? I waited and trusted in you. Why didn't you come and save me?" And even as Ichigo tried to stop the execution, to heal her, to do something or anything, Rukia vanished completely.

Panting heavily, as if he had just gone through a handful of fights, Ichigo leaned wearily upon the sword. "Come on out, hollow. Now!" He shouted, as his reiatsu flared up again in a wave, vainly trying to the push back the encroaching mists. And it was indeed a futile attempt. Suddenly, the white execution tower loomed around him, and Zaraki Kenpachi stepped out directly in front of another Ichigo.

"Heh, Ichigo. I've been waiting for this fight." A maniacal grin blossomed on the scarred visage, as Kenpachi's reiatsu burst out. "Let's fight." And, Ichigo watched as his only reaction was to pull out Zangetsu and struck out. Blades clashing and locking and sparking, the two battered at each other, leaving both bleeding and gashed. After a short exchange of blows, Kenpachi frowned in displeasure. "That's all you got? I'm disappointed. Che. A waste of my time."

"What are you talking about, Kenpachi?" The Ichigo in the vision bellowed angrily, and was completely ignored. Kenpachi simply sheathed his sword, turned about, and walked away.

Ichigo shook off his trance, breathing hard. "That was pointless. I know I'm stronger than Kenpachi. And I know all of those visions were false." He looked around warily. "Just come on out already, hollow." He demanded.

"You sure aren't patient, king." Laconically, the hollow sauntered out of the mists. "And you aren't particularly smart either, are you? Hehe." It chuckled a little. "Welcome to my world. Forgive me if I don't offer you a chair or refreshments or anything." It drawled out sardonically, even as the some of the mist turned into a chair, which it adroitly hooked with its foot and sat into.

"Your world?" Ichigo questioned absently, even as he glanced around the area, which might any moment turn into an arena of battle. "What do you mean?"

The hollow's visage suddenly twisted in anger. "You idiot! What do you think I mean?!" It shouted, before, plunking itself back into its chair, and adopting a condescending voice and appearance. "Let me phrase it this way, so even you might be able to understand. What is a hollow?"

Forcing himself to recall Rukia's bunny illustrations, Ichigo humored the hollow. "A spirit attached to the world, and driven by a longing, or regret, or some other binding and lasting emotion that prevents a peaceful moving on."

"Good." The hollow mocked. Ichigo bristled. "Now then, when you personally experience sadness or longing or anger, or any of these more negative emotions, what happens in your inner world?"

"It rains." The memory of Zangetsu and his comment popped into Ichigo's mind.

"Again, right. Now, Sherlock, to put it together. What form is rain in before it actually turns into rain and pours out?"

Pondering the question slowly, Ichigo came to a rather disturbing conclusion. "It's a cloud of mist. Like what we are in right now…" His eyebrows quirked up as his scowl at the hollow deepened.

"Yes." The hollow drawled back in response. "Now, now, your majesty, please, don't get angry. Your humble servant does have an explanation and a point behind this whole thing." It remarked off-handedly, causing Ichigo to bite back his retort. "Much obliged. Now, as promised, I will tell you the truth, about what I am and why I exist."

Ichigo opened his mouth to protest. "I already know that. It's because of Urahara's efforts in restoring my shinigami powers, when he severed my Chains of Fate."

"Ah, not bad, you do pay some attention. That is somewhat correct, indeed, it is mostly correct. I first awakened and gained consciousness and form in that moment of struggle, when you forced your spirit powers to surface. In that instant, Ichigo, you died. And, you died, I must remark, with a large amount of guilt and an uncompleted, important task. The first seeds of it all, however, started with your mother's death and your grief over that. I showed you those three scenes, not to torture you, as you incorrectly and meanly supposed, but to give you the reason behind my existence. Your darker side, all of your fears and innermost desires, grant me strength and grant me my existence. Those three visions or illusions are your three hidden fears and despairs."

"But you're dead now!" Ichigo argued stubbornly, not really wanting to confront the possible truth in the hollow's words. "I'm dead now too, for that matter. So it shouldn't matter anymore."

"Yes, indeed. Well, if you tried to pass on now, you would simply fade from existence. Without me, you are an incomplete being. On the other hand, without you, I would become a hollow, a Vasto Lorde to be specific." It paused and smiled widely at Ichigo's astonished and apprehensive look. "Let me tell you the fearsome and depraved nature of Hueco Mundo and of the existence of hollows…"

Unlike Shinigami, hollows appear to have the capacity to become ever stronger, without a limit. After all, the only requirement is to devour more souls. Hollows seem to have this ability to continue to grow in their continued evolution. But that is a false premise. We prey upon and consume to try to fill that emptiness in our souls. Our very world is the opposite of Soul Society. Where in Soul Society, there is naturally an overflowing abundance of spirit particles, Hueco Mundo always leaches energy out of us hollows. Thus, we eat not only to vainly fulfill those cravings within us and also to prevent ourselves from wasting away.

Our very nature, our very "home" is repulsive and horrible to us. But we have no choice. The result of our perverted and fallen being is to continue on in this miserable existence, though we pretend ecstasy even as our real selves deep within cry out in anguish. Yet, a hollow can only truly grow as strong as to an Adjucha. Some manage to attain the level that Soul Society now recognizes as a Vasto Lorde, perhaps the equivalent of a Captain. But that is the limit; our world oppresses us, so that we can naturally advance no further.

But rarely, so extraordinarily rarely, a hollow first awakens while its human counterpart still lives and exists. Without the draw of Hueco Mundo, without the drains and emptiness, such a hollow can thrive and grow. If the host is strong-willed and powerful, as long as he has any negative emotions, the hollow likewise can attain such power. And upon death, the hollow is released. These are the true Vasto Lorde class hollows, which consume the human side without regret and descend fully into madness and darkness, striving to its uttermost to gain power and wreak havoc. This is why my kind are so feared, are so powerful and destructive. It is why Soul Society fears the legendary prowess and powers of the Vasto Lorde, and has strived with all of its might each time to wipe out any Vasto Lorde to arise. In all of our existence, there have been but perhaps a handful of them. But with our rare and infrequent births, Soul Society has forgotten about us and relegated our title to those advanced Adjuchas. They will be in for a shock should that ever encounter a true Vasto Lorde, the ultimate form of the hollows.

However, arrancar are even more of an abomination, in bringing out the light of an individual and forcing it to serve the darkness. The entirety of the power of a soul is released for the arrancar's use. This makes them even more powerful, yes, but at the possible cost of any chance of redemption. Only those still conscious and willing to seek redemption retain that character and personality reminiscent of their original selves. And if their mask is damaged or destroyed, there is an even better chance of restoring their humanity, Nell being a prime example.

"That's pretty horrible." Ichigo shuddered after listening to the hollow's brief explanation. "So why not just let yourselves be purified then?"

"We can't; we won't. That is our stubborn and perverse nature, as twisted beings. Even if we lead only a hollow existence, that existence is all that we know." The hollow suddenly gave a rather odd and slightly terrifying grin. "And now that I have finished telling my tale, it is time for you to move on and finish this task. You must accept everything you have been repressing. You must understand and acknowledge your hidden desires and fears, your innermost passions and emotions." It stood up and spread its arms open, as if to embrace Ichigo. And, suddenly, the hollow simply began to flake apart and dissolve into nothingness. "It's time to face the facts, Ichigo. I will always be here either as an acknowledged half or you or as the hollow you make me into; you're always the one who chooses to give me a conscious form and presence…"

As Ichigo stood glaring in irritation and scoffed in shock and revulsion, the particles began to gather around him, clinging and covering him. "What kind of dirty trick…" He sputtered and struggled frantically, even as the particles engulfed him completely in their darkness, and he disappeared.

The hollow's insane laugh trailed lightly along in the foggy and empty recesses of Ichigo's inner world. "I'll be waiting, king. You're strong, I already know. So, I'll be waiting for you when you come out to show you how to use my powers. The horse will stick along for this ride…. Together… we will… be… invincible…"


	7. To Return to the Fray

Like I've said before, "Bleach" isn't actually mine. A shame.

Rukia continued her midnight patrols, leaving her gigai at the Kurosaki residence. Isshin had kindly let Rukia stay, and she had moved into Yuzu and Karin's room. Isshin had spent quite a bit of time talking to Yuzu and Karin about shinigami generally, though it seemed that Karin already knew about it to some degree. Rukia laughed, remembering, how Karin had briefly mentioned Toushiro, using the same peculiar grimace, smile, and smirk that Ichigo had often used when referring to Uryuu. Still, the rest of the explanation would have wait until Ichigo returned. Everyone was just biding their time, hoping and waiting.

After dinner, Rukia again went on her routine patrol, strolling along the streets and roofs of Karakura town. It constantly amazed her at how many spirits there were floating around the town, as well as at the number of people who had some level of spiritual awareness. Of course, most of them still couldn't see Rukia, per se, but around a fifth of the people living in the town had some degree of spiritual power, and could sense an odd presence not discernible by the normal human senses.

She had to stifle a laugh as Keigo's eyes widened at seeing her, in her Shinigami form and robes. He gaped at her for a bit, and noticed everyone else's reactions, or lack thereof, before rubbing his eyes and resolutely ignoring this apparent apparition. "Everything appears to be as normal at the moment. No unusual concentrations of spirit energy or hollows."

Of course, at that instant, the tech division contacted her. "Urgent alert! A large gathering of huge hollows have been detected, with at least thirty spiritual signatures. All shinigami in Karakura town, as well as available human allies head immediately to the west edge of the town and engage, contain, and then subdue this force. Vice-captains and captains are being notified and prepared for immediate dispatch as the situation might dictate. Out."

All over town, the defenders of Karakura town acknowledged the warning. Ishida finished one last stitch before putting down his sewing and donning his Quincy outfit. Chad summoned his armor as he began his thundering run towards the west side of town. Inoue hurried after them even as she released the fairies from her hair pins. Renji and Matsumoto, having again been assigned to watch over Karakura town for the time being, quickly swallowed some Soul Candy and popped out of their gigais and began flash-stepping out.

They all reached the outer edge of town at about the same instant, arriving by whatever techniques or skills, only to see a terrifying sight. Forty huge hollows rampaged about in pure fear, as ten or so menos grande class hollows, shrouds billowing around them, mindlessly and randomly ripped through them. And, at the same moment, black slits cut through the air as a Garganta gate formed and a handful of adjuchas swarmed out, seemingly fleeing from some other presence. Emerging from the gate, they began to savagely tear and strike out at anything in their paths, humans, shinigamis, or hollows, and the scene erupted into seething mass of chaos, confusion, and destruction.

Renji bit back an oath as the blast of a cero nearly struck him. "Howl, Zabimaru!" He cried out as his zanpakuto shifted into its longer, segmented form. "Take this!" Swiftly, Zabimaru neatly shot out to slice a huge hollow squarely in half, which dissolved as its soul was purified. The crowd of hollows alerted by this attack to the presence of some new threat now turned their attention to swarming around the gathered shinigami, the Quincy, and Chad.

"Alert! Soul Society is sending three captains immediately!" A cry suddenly rang out amongst the fighters defending Karakura town, locked in combat with a number of the hollows, their only advantage at the moment being that the hollows continued to fight amongst themselves as well. "We have detected the intrusion of a vasto lorde class hollow. Repeat, three captains are being sent. Try to contain the invasion without directly engaging the vasto lorde. Out."

All of the defenders shot each other a shocked and frightened look. "We've barely even heard of them before!" Renji bellowed as a sliced another hollow in half. "Rumors say that two captains fighting perfectly together might only just win against a vasto lorde!" Ishida's scowl tightened as he drew in more than the needed amount of energy and pierced through three hollows in one shot. But the fighting was getting tougher, as the surviving adjucha managed to whip the remaining seven menos grandes into some semblance of order.

At that moment though, the hollows paused, and grateful for some reprieve, the defenders warily stepped back as well. From both sides, gates suddenly formed. From one, a vasto lorde, human-sized and mostly-human shaped but radiating of an overwhelming reiatsu and bloodlust yet with a tinge of fear, stepped out. And from the other side, two gates appeared. Byakuya, Hitsuyga and Kenpachi flash stepped out of one, while Ikkau, Yumichika, Hantarou, and a handful of other eleventh squad members poured out of the other.. Byakuya spoke, somehow calmly and serenely to the winded defenders. "We will engage the vasto lorde. In the meantime, form a perimeter with the reinforcements to deal with the rest of the enemy force."

Everyone tensed, however, when the vasto lorde advanced upon the group. But when Kenpachi whipped out his sword, to their great surprise, the hollow held his hand up, motioning him to wait. And then, it spoke. "Shinigami," it addressed them, voice laden with distaste and some perverse hunger. "Step aside and we will not rend you into delicious fragments of soul and devour you. If you do so, we will not harm you, nor this town." Its reiatsu flared up and blanketed the surrounding area, pressing heavily on the defenders. "Hurry and make your decision."

Kenpachi, in his usual bloodlust and battle-hunger, ignored the hollow's demand and its fearful implications. "And deprive myself of the fun for a challenging fight!" He laughed wildly, and struck at the vasto lorde with a direct, overhead blow.

Almost negligently, the vasto lorde reached out, as if in slow motion, and clasped the descending blade with a single blade, suspending the attack in mid-air. "Very well then, shinigami, I will enjoy immensely this meal you're about to provide. Die." Its other hand stretched and blurred into a scythe-like blade and it slashed Kenpachi a deep blow across his chest, sending him hurtling backward.

Kenpachi quickly regained his footing and grinned widely as he pulled off his eye-patch. And, blazing with reiatsu, he fiercely pressed the attack, bearing down on the somewhat surprised vasto lorde with his own tremendous pressure. The two began to exchange a flurry of shimmering blows that scattered gusts of energy throughout the area, blanketing the entire region with a palpable presence.

The other hollows shook off their stupor and resumed their fight with the mix of defenders. Rukia began bypassing kido incantations to rain a barrage of cover fire for the other fights. Ikkau and Yumichika began to engage in melee combat, both releasing their zanpaktou as did most of the reinforcements and Matsumoto. Renji and Chad, with their superior reiatsu limits turned to engage the towering menos grande in a direct clash of power and strength.

On the other hand, the other two captains took a moment to analyze the situation. "Hitsuyga-Taicho." Byakuya spoke calmly. "I believe that we should set up a kido barrier right away. The energies being released in this fight will no doubt increase even more, but at the moment it already exceeds the acceptable limit." Hitsuyga merely nodded in agreement as he drew on his spiritual energy in preparation for the high-level kido. "We will use a doubled version of binding kido number eighty-one."

Together, they focused and then channeled their combined spiritual energy. "Bakudo Eighty-One, Danku." An enormous golden wall coalesced for about a half-mile around the epicenter of the battlefield. Its use and need was proven almost immediately as a stray cero crashed against it before being dispelled in a burst of intense light and heat. Unfortunately drained and strained from casting a fairly powerful binding spell on such a large scale, both Byakuy and Hitsuyga were rather winded and unable to join the fight right away.

Kenpachi had continued with slugging it out with the vasto lorde. Both had fallen back to the crude but effective and daunting method of simply using more power. Each blow sent the other combatant sliding back a few feet, and formed craters from the energies dispelled. The vasto lorde was no longer laughing, but Kenpachi continued to display his wild, fearsome grin. Nonetheless, despite his enjoyment and stubborn fighting, to Byakuya's trained eye, he saw the obvious conclusion. Kenpachi was being pushed back. Although their raw spiritual strengths were comparable, he simply was too unrefined and polished in his attacks and defense.

The other defenders fared well, for the most part. The eleventh division members were overpowering the lesser hollows still fighting, while the vice-captains had managed to defeat or at least force draws with the remaining adjuchas and had subdued the towering menos grandes. However, even so, weakened and exhausted by the battle, all of the shinigami and other defenders could still be wiped out by the vasto lorde and the two remaining adjucha. These three hollows were on a high enough level to still prove a serious challenge.

This was shown definitively when the vasto lorde scored a deep blow that pierced through the right of Kenpachi's chest in a shower of blood. Even for him, it was a serious blow. "I guess I'll have to use two hands." He choked out, as he adjusted his grip. The blows he began to rain down slowed the advancing vasto lorde, but was unable to stop it.

With a massive tremor, it raised its spiritual pressure again, forcing many of the lower ranked shinigami and the human defenders to their knees. "I told you I would enjoy this meal. There is an abundance of energy here." Finally, confident, the vasto lorde savagely grinned. It stalked forward towards the weakened captain, intent on dealing the final blows. With a single strike, it battered through Kenpachi's guard. With the next, it sent his zanpaktou flying away. "Now, die."

With a long, arcing swing, the vasto lorde sliced down, in a devastating blow aimed to kill with a deep cut from the top of the left shoulder to the right of the waist. Byakuya flashed stepped to the side to strike at the vasto lorde while it was exposed. But, it simply continued its swing with one hand while the other hand released a powerful cero-like attack that blew Byakuya away. Kenpachi staggered back several paces, while Byakuya crumpled to the ground, bloodied and cut from the fragments of his shattered zanpaktou and the devastating impact of the blast. "Nii-sama!" Rukia cried out, appalled at the sight of her brother, so powerful and steady, abruptly laid low.

"Rukia, watch out!" Renji shouted in alarm. As she had turned away, one of the adjuchas had taken the chance to launch a powerful attack of condensed spirit energy, similar to a cero, directly at her. In the space of moments, it seemed that everything had taken a turn for the worse.

Two of the three captains were in no condition to fight. The third captain still had not recovered from the draining kido barrier. The rest of the fighters were tiring from their own exhausting struggles and still had to deal with two adjucha-class hollows. And, at this moment, with the sudden shift in the battle, one of the adjucha launched a devastating attack at Rukia, who was in a poor position and unable to turn.

Suddenly, in a flash, the cero seemingly shattered, sending coruscating fragments of light and energy scattering through the air. In almost the same instant, a gentle brush of wind seemed to pass over the scene. The vasto lorde somehow managed to pale, becoming a whiter and more deathly shade of white than before. "He's here." It uttered quietly, but heard throughout the whole, utterly silent battlefield.

No one understood how or why the two adjucha hollows abruptly dissolved into scarps of spirit particles, or why the vasto lorde, on the verge of complete victory, suddenly turned and began dashing away at full speeds. That was until they heard the voice speaking. The vasto lorde had but taken a handful of steps, when it froze. It was lifted up, held by where a human's throat would equivalently be. "Where do you think you're trying to run to?"

"Let me go, please. I'll do anything." The powerful hollow stammered out, reduced to a pathetic and pitiful babbling state. "Forgive your humble slave!" It stopped talking. The hand had tightened, noticeably clutching the hollow's throat.

"I don't believe you. May your soul be redeemed in another death." The entire defending force of Karakura town stared in absolute shock at the speaker. Like the vasto lorde, it or he looked mostly human-sized. But, to some of those standing there, the long white tail, powerful hands with sharp claws retracted and the orange mane of hair cascading down from behind the mask, seemed far too familiar and terrifying.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Was the general consensus that somehow seemed to be collectively breathed out. And, in that same instance, Ichigo's hollow released a tremendous pressure, exceeding even that of the vasto lorde. The spiritual pressure blew back everyone around it, slamming the defenders hard into the barrier. Many of them lost consciousness. The captains, retaining by a thread their awareness, watched in horror. The vasto lorde, which had proved of some difficulty for the captains to defeat, was shredded by being exposed to the presence of this new hollow and was shattered into glittering spirit fragments by a simple tightening of its fist.

And as the three captains struggled to stand upright and buy some time so that someone might be able to inform Soul Society about the new situation, the hollow turned and stalked towards them. All the while, it bore a terrible, frightening grin of malice. Toshiro, the least injured of the captains released his bankai. His draconic ice wings spread out like a shield, he strode to block the hollow's advance. "Halt! Ichigo Kurosaki, return to your shinigami form now!"

To everyone's growing horror, the hollow tilted its head to the side in seeming confusion, its orange mane swinging loosely aside. "Ichigo Kurosaki? Is that my name?"


	8. A Beast Unleashed

Sorry for the long delay. I've been held back due to more work and a bit of writer's block, and I might edit this chapter a bit more if I can think of a small change. But anyhow, here's the newest chapter. Enjoy!

And, as what you might expect, I don't own Bleach.

* * *

"So, you knew me, when I was still alive I suppose?" The hollow asked curiously and in a rather most carefree manner, as I peered inquisitively at a bleeding and gasping Toshiro, held aloft by the white claws gripped around his throat. Those still conscious were deathly aware and trembled in fear, from the resemblance of this scene to the early scene where "Ichigo" had crushed the vasto lorde class hollow by its throat. "I wonder what sort of person I was. It is a rather interesting question, in my opinion. Even if there is little actual point to the question, or to the answer."

It mused aloud idly, its words and thoughts seemingly rambling along no clear path. "Ichigo" had cut in sharply with a sonido-like step, and shattered Toshiro's bankai with a well-placed cero that had blasted through the draconic ice wings and utterly destroyed the central cluster of the flowers that normally sustained his bankai. As the stunned remaining defenders tried to come to Toshiro's aid, the hollow cleared a space around itself by raising its spiritual pressure and blasting back most of the defenders. Then as the captains and vice captains tried to shakily press closer, it had raised its spiritual pressure still higher and then violently knocked the captains and vice captains away by dashing quickly forward and taking a powerful swing with its spiked tail. Those unfortunate enough to shakily hold their position, mainly Byakuya and Kenpachi, were mauled terribly as the hollow threw them back with sharp blows with its claws. Backpedalling furiously, Toshiro launched an ice dragon towards the hollow to delay it, even as he leaped backwards and began the incantation for a powerful binding kido spell.

Instead the hollow used sonido to appear behind Toshiro before the kido was complete. Breaking off the chant, Toshiro whirled about and engaged in a close fight, furiously parrying the claw swipes that the hollow sent at him with his blade. It swung its bladed tail around slicing at Toshiro's feet. He ducked below the claws and stabbed its tail with his blade. The hollow hissed and pulled it tail back as the blade glanced off the side with only a shallow gash. Stepping to the side, the two began to circle each other. As Toshiro desperately thought of some way to defeat or escape from the hollow, it abandoned its circling and charged at him, forcing him back with wild swings and attacks that he frantically parried. But despite his attempts to defend, cuts and gashes began to accumulate. Panting and fatigued, he failed to see the hollow suddenly brought its tail around and trap his left foot. Distracted, Toshiro failed to block the next attack, which ripped his sword from his hand. Disarmed and exhausted, he had become completely helpless and the hollow had casually grasped Toshiro by the throat, lifting him up high above the ground.

The two captains had pulled themselves upright by now, just as the furious but brief fight had ended. Kenpachi grinned eagerly at the thought of another battle, but Byakuya knew that both of them were seriously injured, putting them at a heavy handicap. Most of the other defenders were unconscious still, though the vice-captins had already begun to stir and wearily stand up, and the odds were stacked heavily against them. Toshiro glared defiantly at the hollow, and reached out futilely for his sword lying at the hollow's feet as if to call it back to him. "Ah, ah, ah, now." The hollow lightly admonished him, and flicked out his tail to knock Hyorinmaru away from itself and further out of his reach. "We wouldn't want you to get hurt; little children should not play with sharp objects you know."

Byakuya eyed the hollow warily. From just watching the fight, he knew that its spiritual energy was far more powerful than the wearied defenders' combined remaining strength. However, its techniques appeared unrefined. Perhaps a high level kido spell could restrain it for a moment. But, they needed a moment's time, and so he sought to buy them some time. In his usual placid tone, he blandly asked the hollow. "So do you not recall your identity at all? Why then were you following after that pack of hollows?"

If possible, the hollow actually looked rather confused at the question. Rather bemused, it tilted its head to the side absently and wondered aloud. "My identity has to do with following this pack of hollows? How very curious. And you say that my name is Kurosaki Ichigo, hmmm. I see. To tell the truth, I was just rather bored. And when I wandered upon that group of hollows," it smiled toothily showing its maw and razor-sharo teeth, "I thought that I had found something fun to do for a while. You were all just icing on the cake, to be honest."

As Byakuya finished gathering his reiatsu and began his kido chat, Kenpachi pulled himself fully upright and drew out his blade with a tremendous smile. His bellowed words drowned out the sounds of Byakuya's incantation. "I don't care if you remember who you are or not, and I don't really care why you came here, but I know that I want a good fight. Why don't you fight me?" He shouted out and rushed forward, swinging his notched and worn out zanpaktou at the hollow.

Reacting instantly, the hollow threw aside Toshiro who twisted in midair and skidded to a stop along the ground. Toshiro dashed to his sword, and picked it up before collapsing onto one knee from his wounds. Byakuya continued his incantation, but nodded towards Matsumoto, who had regained consciousness a while earlier, to head over and help her captain. Ignoring all this in favor of its fight, the hollow whirled about with its tail, forcing Kenpachi to sidestep and delay his attack. With the time it gained, it used a well-placed sonido to step to Kenpachi's back. But, he merely swung his blade back around and parried the hollow's claws. Pushing it back, he savagely cut and hacked at the hollow, forcing it give ground and retreat back. "You, shinigami, are actually not half bad." The hollow commented. Sparks flew as Kenpachi's blade glanced through it guard and slashed along its arm. It lunged forward with both hands, clawing at Kenpachi who took several slashes to his upper torso. As Kenpachi grinned, it continued. "But, only by half." It caught Kenpachi's blade and locked it with its claws, and then swung its other clawed hand around at his unguarded side.

With a heave of his powerful frame, Kenpachi pushed the hollow away and dodged out of the claws' attack. "Well, that's because I've never showed my other half." Despite being covered with bleeding wounds and injuries inflicted through both battles, Kenpachi's grin widened further. He stepped back, and the hollow paused warily and watched carefully. "You seem to sense the danger you're in." The hollow's eyes narrowed in anger and a growl echoed aloud, a deep, low and terrifying rumble. "Feel honored, hollow. I realize that you might really be a very fun battle; I can already tell that I'll probably lose. So it's time to bring everything out. You're the first to really ever provoke me this far. Then again, it's something I've only learned fairly recently." With a flourish, he held his zanpaktou straight up. Nothing seemed to happen, but everyone could hear him chanting lowly, murmuring to himself words that sounded like "Rise to the sounds of battle, fight with one heart. Named after my name, to glory in the joys of war." At first only to the sensitive and perceptive fighters, but then gradually to everyone present, they could feel Kenpachi's spiritual energy meshing with, rather than fighting against, his zanpaktou. A pillar of light erupted around him, and fresh wave of reitsu billowed out in a massive surge, growing stronger every moment and then increasing in magnitude still again as his eye patch was blown off. When the light faded away, his wounds and injuries had all healed over, though there was little other noticeable change. The greatest difference concerned his zanpaktou. Where before it had been notched and scarred and battered, constantly worn down from contending with the power of his uncontrolled reistsu, it now gleamed with a polish, refined, and deadly mien. The blade had been smoothed out and glittered dangerously, looking as if it had been just newly forged with the purest steel in the flames of the hottest fires. Kenpachi just grinned toothily and lopsidedly commented, "Behold, this is what my shikai looks like." And, he started laughing loudly, in satisfaction.

"What kind of dirty trick are you using?!" The hollow cried out in anger, as it tensed in readiness for an attack. And, for a moment, its voice sounded like Ichigo's. "How are you increasing your power? You don't even have a shikai! I know you don't have one!" For a moment, a very puzzled light seemed to enter the hollow's eyes, and it actually paused and stood still for an entire second. It muttered rather in great confusion. "Remember? Did I remember something?" And as it stood still, in that small opening, Kenpachi ran the hollow through with one powerful stroke. Slashing it back out, the blow knocked the hollow far back, slamming it against the kido barrier. It cried out in pain as the barrier burnt at him.

Kenpachi's wide grin dimmed. "Was that all it took? I finally go all out, and my opponent is just worthless like that? Feh. A waste of my time."

A fierce roar pushed back Kenpachi with its force and anger. The hollow stood up straight and shook its head, shaking its head in anger. Its bestial tone rumbled out dangerously. "Don't think that I'm done yet, shinigami. That attack barely scratched me." It bared its sharp teeth at him and flexed the long claws that curved out from his hands. It blurred into motion as it dashed towards Kenpachi. However, it was suddenly brought to a halt, as Byakuya finally completed his reinforced kido barrier, binding the hollow securely within the bars formed by a dual kido binding spell using both Rikujokoro and Danku. "How dare you interfere?" The hollow demanded as it struggled in frustration against its confines. The thirteen glowing, golden pillars, each twice the thickness of a normal person, and extending unendingly into the skies, firmly pinned down even this powerful hollow.

Byakuya limped over, somehow still infusing every one of his pained steps with a sense of his noble dignity. "Don't bother trying to move, hollow. This is combination is the most powerful binding spells that I can cast, it can deflect and bind even a captain's most powerful attack. You cannot resist any longer. We will be taking you back to the Gotei 13 for further study and examination, and then you will be purified after that point." He gazed upon the hollow sternly, without any other sort of feeling, having none of the confusion the others felt. But, if one looked closely, one would be able to see the slightest tremor running through his otherwise still pose. After all, he had fought Ichigo's hollow form before, and could positively recognize him. Everyone else had merely made the assumption that it might be Ichigo due to the hollow's unusual orange hair, and had no real basis for their guess. However, he had to carry out his duty, as this hollow seemed to be out of control and did not seem to remember anything. And as such, as a shinigami officer of a noble house, he would defeat and purify the hollow's soul.

The hollow just raised one white-plated eye, and smirked. It began to laugh. "Puny shinigami. Feel the power of a Vasto Lorde." It snarled. The air around it rippled malevolently as spiritual energy billowed out in a think, dense cloud that distorted and bent the air around it. The bars started to deform and bend, as a tremendous power coursed through them, corrupting the kido patterns that bound this fearsome being. Byakuya watched helplessly, stunned and amazed that his kido was being warped and ripped apart by the hollow's struggles. It was impossible to shrug off such high level kido, absolutely impossible. "Ready to go again, shinigami?" It leered at Kenpachi.

Angered and desperate, Byakuya lunged towards the hollow, who simply ignored him and knocked him back with a simple kick, slamming him into the ground in a explosion of dust. "Nii-sama!" Rukia cried out, and made as to run over to his side, when he gestured weakly at her to stop. The rest of the defenders seemed both eager to join the fight and defend the town, and also correctly reluctant to fight a hollow of this power. The hollow rushed at Kenpachi , who laughed joyously as the white claws made a long slash through his shoulder, and the two continued to exchange blows. Each strikes sent sparks flying, and waves of spiritual energy scintillating over the ground, until the battlefield seemed to be bathed in the pale light of reistu. But, quickly, the hollow began to dictate the pace of the battle, wearing down Kenpachi's defense and leaving deep wounds all over his body. It started to toy with the captain, who nonetheless continued his wild fight.

"Retreat to the edge of the barrier and remain out of the way." After pulling himself back up, Byakuya ordered Rukia, and intimated that the rest of the defenders were to do likewise. "Gathering his flagging reserves, he released his grasp on Senbonzakura, letting it sink into the earth before him. "Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Long blades rose out of the ground around the combatants, before shattering into a million cherry blossoms that fluttered around dangerously. Somehow though, both Kenpachi and the hollow continued to fight the entire time, ignoring Byakuya's actions. Trying to better contain the powerful spiritual energies being released by the battle, he formed a swirling wall of blades that surrounded him, Kenpachi, and the hollow. "Now, let us even the odds a bit." Grabbing two of the blades from the wall, he flash-stepped forwards. As Kenpachi thrust the hollow back momentarily with a powerful swing, and the hollow staggered off-balance for a split second, Byakuya stepped in low, and sank one of his blades straight through the hollow's armored foot, pinning it to the ground. It bellowed in pain and rage, lifting its foot and ripping the blade forcefully out of the ground. Turning, it faced Byakuya and charged at him.

"Best not to ignore me either." Kenpachi laughed as he swung his zanpaktou down. The hollow caught the blade with one claw, and cast a powerful bala at the same time, engulfing the field with smoke. Then it vanished into its cover. As Byakuya looked around, the hollow dashed out and slammed out clawed hand at his stomach. Byakuya managed to parry and catch the attack with his blade, but was knocked to the side as the hollow's tail whipped around. The hollow cast a quick, relatively low-powered cero at the prone Byakuya, who was saved as a wall of ice rose up and shattered, absorbing and dissipating the impact of the attack. The hollow hissed in anger and with some fear as the smoke began to clear, revealing a total of three of the Gotei 13 shinigami captains. Hitsuya had recovered and rejoined the fight with his activated Bankai, while Kenpachi was still eager to fight, with his revealed shikai. And surrounding all four of the combatants, a wall of shimmering pink blades circled ceaselessly, ensuring that the fight would continue until only one side remained standing.

Byakuya picked himself up gingerly and called two replacement blades to him. The hollow, now cautious and wary, withdrew back slightly, showing true hesitation now for the second time in the fight. It spoke slowly, its voice echoing hollowly. "I am beginning to think that I might just be overmatched here." It nodded to itself. "After fighting two supposed vasto lorde class hollow, being delayed in a prolonged skirmish with a group of Vizard, and then drawing even with three shinigami captains, I think that I am beginning to tire. Yet, I find myself somehow loath to leave this battle." Its head tilted to the side oddly, and his long claws clicked together. "It is not hunger, of that I am most sure. Battle-lust and the thrill of strong opponents make up only some of my reluctance." The next question was directed at the somewhat confused shinigami who had merely waited and held a cautious approach. "Did you really now me while I was alive? Is that what explains my muted sense of familiarity with all of you?" But, it seemed to shake itself in negation, before turning away. "I am confused, very confused. If you really did know me, come to Las Noches and find me. For myself, I must return and think over these strange feelings which no hollow must ever have felt before." Seeing the captains open their mouths and begin to speak, it halted them with one uplifted claw and a flare of its strong spirit energy. "I must go."

A massive garganta gate opened, ripping apart the shrouding concealment and imprisonment of Senbonzakura. The shinigmai and various defenders gathered outside stared in shock at the abrupt materialization and the tremendous size of the gate and then even more so as six gigantic menos grande class hollows stepped out, their black cloaks billowing around them. The captains flash-stepped back to join the crowd of defenders, who were readying themselves for a final, desperate defense, and with a barked command made them stand down and wait. Twelve bestial-looking adjucha hollows dashed out around the menos, forming up along lines into a sort of reception. In awe-struck wonder and fear the defenders watched silently and motionlessly as the hollows all bowed and knelt low as the orange-manned hollow strode through the two lines of hollows and into the gate. As the entourage turned and followed their leader though, and the gate began to close, they heard its voice echoing back out. "To be or not to be, that is the question. Come to Las Noches if you truly want me to try to remember."

And with that, the brief skirmish and then deadly battle was over. The demoralized and wounded defenders immediately contacted Soul Society with information about the battle and asked for aid and reinforcements. The utterly bewildered defenders of Karakura Town were now left to debate and figure out what exactly to do next, after the captains had reluctantly let the group know what the hollow had said before it left. And now everyone was left wondering about what would happen next.


End file.
